After arriving in Tampa last night, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team went to work on Friday afternoon in preparation for tomorrow’s BIG EAST conference game against South Florida (noon ET on Big East Network – also available on ESPN3, as well as ABC57 in the South Bend area).

As is tradition when on the road, team chaplain Father Pete McCormick said Mass at the team hotel. The Irish grabbed food and broke down the scouting report and some game film, before heading to the USF campus for a shootaround at the recently renovated Sun Dome.

Personally, it didn’t take long to be impressed by the 10,000+ seat venue, which underwent a $35.6 million renovation that was completed in 2012. I guess we’ll have to see tomorrow during the game, but the seats are steep and close to the court. It just seems like one of those arenas that gets loud.

The team practiced for about 75 minutes before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

Getting away from the snow and cold for a couple days, many of the players spent the early afternoon enjoying the sunshine, with a few even hopping on jetskis for a little while.

The Irish (15-4 overall, 3-3 BIG EAST) look to bounce back from Monday’s loss versus Georgetown and pick up an important conference road win against the Bulls (10-8, 1-5).

If you can’t watch it, follow along on Twitter (@ndmbb) or listen live on UND.com. For now, here are a few photos, as well as a quick video featuring Irish assistant coach Martin Ingelsby previewing the game with Fighting Irish Digital Media’s Jack Nolan.

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